Granted there is no clear definition of flashpacking. The urban dictionary defines a flashpacker as “a backpacker with a better budget – independent travellers with money to spend“. For me personally just tying it down to money is too easy. I wouldn’t even necessarily relate it to a certain age (although some places and hostel types are simply more popular with a younger backpacking crowd). But you can surely be as much of a flashpacker at 23 and 43. So what really distinguishes flashpackers from backpackers?

Flashpacking vs. Backpacking

Let's redefine flashpacking - What does solo travel beyond your early backpacking days look like?

Solo travel in your 30s – what changes?

A little more comfort: Flashpacker accommodation

Solo travel in your 30s and beyond means that you might want to travel a bit more comfortably meaning you will need a bigger wallet. Flashpacking in style you’re now avoiding large dorm rooms, cabins with just a mattress on the floor and bathrooms shared with 25 other backpackers. The dorm rooms are now ensuite and much smaller – if you are going for a dorm room at all. The thought of having to share with more than 8 others haunts you. Now you might even occasionally go for a reasonably priced single room. You gotta treat yourself!

The hostel you choose will still have a great social vibe though where it’s easy to meet people. But the focus will shift from partying all night to how do I make the most of my stay in this city, region or country. As a flashpacker you are now looking for comfy beds, dorm privacy, some amenities such as free water or towels and an overall appealing design. The accommodation becomes more than a place to sleep; it becomes a place to rest, reflect, retreat, plan and socialise. And luckily as flashpacking gets more popular there are more and more hostels catering for this upcoming travel movement!

Suddenly it is the quirky boutique hotel, a friendly BnB in the city centre and yes even a hostel, but one that turns down the music at 11.30pm.

Solo travel in your 30s - Remoteness and extraordinary experiences

Suddenly you add Azerbaijan to your travel list. Mozambique is great for diving. Horse Trek in Mongolia? How about Guyana? In my 20s Mongolia certainly wasn’t on my travel bucket list, but now as a solo traveler in my 30s, I think differently.

Over the past decade I have seen my travel to do list grow from the more well travelled places to some lesser known regions. This doesn’t mean that I am in any way less interested in going to busier places, but the experience in less touristy places is often more raw, real and inspirational. It’s easier to get closer to people and immersed in cultures and you get to see and experience things that most people don’t.

When travelling to lesser-visited places, it’s oftentimes advisable to plan more carefully and longer i in advance. There may not be a backpacker bus waiting to pick you up right in front of your hostel and dropping you off at another one 300 miles away. Tourist sites, excursions and transport as well as the (touristic) infrastructure may not be as well regulated or developed.

But isn’t this the challenge when travelling? After many years of backpacking I felt more confident and comfortable to go to places that I would have never thought of going fresh out of high school. Solo travel in your 30s gradually changes this and you’ll more and more find yourself flashpacking rather than backpacking on a budget.

Transformational travel and positive impact on the destination

The Transformational Travel Council (TTC) points out that travellers are increasingly looking for real personal transformation. Leaving the experience had behind when returning back home is not an option anymore. People are now longing for positively life-altering experiences changing their lives and the lives of others. Making a positive impact back home as well as in the travel destination. It’s that desire for continued change after returning home that distinguishes experiential from transformational travel. Especially in these current turbulent times, transformation is inevitable and travel is a powerful catalyst for this.

I believe there is a strong connection between flashpacking and transformational travel. Especially our millennial generation, currently solo travelling in their 30s is increasingly looking for transformational experiences leading to self fulfilment and wider positive change.

The awareness that travel can not only transform someone’s personal life but also be a driver for cultural understanding, generating income for marginalised communities and even helping many environmental initiatives to be seen and heard is now firmly established and the future of flashpacking.

Flashpacking and purpose, meaning of life and spirituality

I know how cliché that sounds. Now some of you are probably rolling their eyes but hopefully just as many of you will agree! Spirituality? I am aware that not everyone is on a spiritual path and in a way I don’t even like that phrase. We should just call it “life path”. But although the “meaning of life” may sound a bit cheesy, I think that most of us are looking to make their lives more happy, enjoyable and fulfilling. Call it what you want! So what does flashpacking have to do with the purpose of of life?

While travelling you get in touch with a lot of different belief systems, be it in the Far East, in the Amazon or in the Middle East. Yoga and meditation retreats have never been more popular. Ayurveda retreats are booming and in recent years it all even went a step further with a rise in Ayahuasca, Peyote or Psilocybin retreats. A good week long ayurveda retreat comes at a cost though, which is why I’d place it in the flashpacker category.

Not only is following or believing in certain spiritual practices, whatever tradition they might be rooted in, more and more accepted in our western societies, but for many it’s a means to improve and change their life (styles). Hence, phrases like “finding yourself”, “escaping the daily routine” while travelling resonate with more and more people.

This is especially true for flashpackers and solo travellers on a career break or re-orientation phase. Solo travel in your 30s seems ever so normal now. During my travels I have met a lot of people who quit their jobs in their late 20s to 30s to go travelling and figure out what to do next. For us millennials this is not uncommon, we live in a fast changing world risking to lose perspective.

Travelling means time for reflection and awareness as well as a clearer view for what’s next.

Digital Nomads: Working remotely

This very much ties in with the point above and funny enough often applies to the blogger scene! Of course things like stable wifi and work friendly spaces are fundamental to be able to work remotely. If you’re enjoying the freedom to work from anywhere, why not travel while working?

And that’s exactly what more and more people do. Digital Nomading is on the rise directly correlating with what I would term flashpacking. According to Nasdaq 43% of the US workforce where freelancing by 2020. Half of those freelancing are millennials. Statista estimates that more than half of the workforce in Western countries will be freelancing by 2028. The numbers for Western Europe are similar. So flashpacking=digital nomading? In an ever increasing number of cases, yes.

A strong wifi connection throughout the property with comfortable and appealing spaces to work – a lounge, patio or even proper co -working spaces such as offered by Los Patios Hostel in the start-up hotspot of Medellin, Colombia are now deciding factors of where to stay.

There is a counter trend though as more and more hostels and eco lodges stop offering wifi altogether. An attempt to re-connect their guests back with themselves, others and nature. During my recent Colombia trip, I stayed in a couple of hostels and eco lodges that didn’t offer wifi. It was so refreshing to see people without their phones. People were playing games, reading, talking, contemplating, meditating. Even a digital nomad needs some time for reflection occasionally. Flashpacking at its best!

With the increase in remote and freelance work, especially within the millennial generation, there is no doubt that people will travel more and work at the same time – maybe we can call it Work and Travel 2.0?

4 Comments

Arabela
Posted at 17:40h, 18 April

Interesting! I never knew about this difference! And yes, I totally agree on the part that lesser known destinations offer a more authentic experience. Love your world view!
Katherine
Posted at 21:55h, 18 April

I honestly didn’t know what flashpacking was. I thought it was just packing for a trip really quickly 😉
Toni
Posted at 22:56h, 18 April

Haha that’s amazing Katherine. Never thought about it this way!
Pingback:About | Alpas Journeys
Posted at 03:18h, 14 April

[…] Crowded 16-bed party hostel dorms in Cambodia, full moon parties in Thailand or working behind the bar at one of the many backpacker hostels along Australia’s East Coast? This is not what this blog is about! Most of us who have travelled and backpacked in our twenties remember the fun times back then. But now being an early thirty-something my priorities have changed when it comes to travel. My wanderlust hasn’t suddenly stopped however, far from it! It’s still in full swing, discovering new and beautiful places around the globe is what keeps me going – but nowadays as a flashpacker! […]

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Hi, I am Toni – Adventurer and Travel Addict and I’m so happy you’re here!

I’ve been working in travel ever since graduating from uni and I’m really excited to share my travel experience, tips and tricks with flashpackers looking for that extra special journey!